The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) is a European not-for-profit organization representing over 20,000 social service providers in 41 countries.

EASPD’s mission is to promote equal opportunities for persons with disabilities through effective and high-quality service systems across Europe, in line with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Our members are active in a wide range of activities, especially in care and support services, employment, education and training, and early childhood intervention.

Job description

EASPD is currently looking for a Policy Assistant willing to both support the team’s advocacy goals and enrich their resume with a working experience in EASPD’s headquarters, in Brussels. The person will work directly with and under the supervision of EASPD’s Head of Policy and in close cooperation with other members of the team. The work would involve covering a broad variety of topics in the field of disability rights and social services.

Persons with disabilities are particularly welcome to apply for the position.

Expected tasks:

• Assistance with policy monitoring and advocacy at EU and International level, particularly in areas related to independent living, early childhood intervention, employment for persons with disabilities and digitalisation of social services. This will include work on the European Disability Rights Strategy, the EU Care Strategy, the Disability Employment Package and the Child Guarantee, among others.
• Support in implementation of running policy projects relevant to the policy areas mentioned above.
• Support in organisation of events (both online and face-to-face).
• Administrative support to the team.
• Collaboration with other teams.

Please note that this list is non-exhaustive, and other tasks may be performed under this role.

Job Requirements

Qualifications

• University degree (minimum of 3 years of higher education).
• Valid visa to work and stay in Belgium.
   

Skills required

• A basic understanding about policy advocacy methods, especially at EU and International level.
• A basic understanding of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and challenges affecting social service provision.
• Excellent writing skills in English (other languages are an asset).
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office and basic IT skills.
• Bachelor related to Political Sciences, International Relations, Social Studies, European Studies, or equivalent experience.
• Strong interest in the European Social sector and/or in disability issues.

Additional skills

• Willingness to work in a multicultural team.
• Ability to work autonomously and in a team context.
• Sense of initiative and be pro-active.
• Ability to work under pressure and respect deadlines.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Good interpersonal skills.

Terms of the Contract

• Minimum 38 hours / week and based in Brussels.
• This internship will take place under the conditionals of a Convention D’immersion Professionnelle, with a renumeration of up to €997.09.
• 6 months internship.
• The desired starting date is beginning of May 2024.

What we offer

Being part of EASPD will give the intern the opportunity to discover how European organisations are structured, how European and International policy affects social service providers for persons with disabilities (and vice versa), and what innovation in social and disability policy and practice looks like, etc.

In our international team, the intern will be treated as a full member of the EASPD team with full rights to attend internal trainings and/or e-learning, national conferences and team building events. 

Application procedure

• If you feel that you have the motivation, skills and competences for the job and could fit into our team, please email your CV (up to 2 pages) and motivation letter (up to 1 page) to Konstantina Leventi, Head of Policy, konstantina.leventi@easpd.eu.
• The deadline for applications is 18 April 2024.
• Interviews will most likely take place the week of 22 April 2024 in Brussels (preferably in person).
• Persons with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Recruitment Data Privacy Statement

• EASPD commits to carefully handle the privacy and data protection of natural persons whose personal data are processed by EASPD.
• EASPD only processes the personal data in a way that is compatible with the purposes for which the data were collected.
• Personal data is collected to facilitate the recruitment process. Data given to EASPD is included in the CV you need to submit for your application to be considered.
• EASPD takes appropriate measures to ensure your personal data is not kept for longer than necessary for the intended purposes. That is why your CV will not be kept by EASPD after the recruitment process is finished. Should you wish EASPD to keep your CV for future vacancies, please include this statement in your cover letter.